Nail or tack driving implement



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T J LANGSTON NAIL 0R TAGK DRIVING IMPLEMENT.

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T J LANGSTON NAIL ORTAGK DRIVING IMPLBMENT.

No. 579,880, Patented Mar. 30, 1897.

THOMAS JUDSON LANGSTON, OF JOHNSTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

NAIL OR TACK DRIVING IMPLEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,880, dated March30, 1897. Application filed J'uly 3, 1895. Serial No. 554.815. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.- Y

Beit known that I, THoMAs JUDsoN LANG- STON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Johnston, in the county of Edgefleld and State ofSouth Carolina, have invented a new and useful Implement for DrivingNails or Tacks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine or implement for facilitating thedriving of nails and tacks by hand.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved machine, easily andconveniently carried in the hand, in which nails or tacks may be put andautomatically arranged and fed to the driving` mechanism one at a time.

My invention consists in details, arrangement of details, and generalconstruction of implement to drive nails and tacks.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a broken front elevation of my nailing andtacking implement. Fig. 2 isabroken side elevation. Fig. 3 is asectional broken view taken from the same point of observation as Fig.2. Fig. 4. is an inside perspective view of one side of driving end orhead, showing the interior mechanism in position, the opposite sidebeing removed. Figs. 5 and .6 are perspective views of the rings andwings that hold arranging chute and plate D in position, also forming apart of the hopper. Figs. 7 and 8 are plan views of opposite sides ofthe ring that holds the lower and upper ends of arranging and conveyingchutes. Dotted lines in Fig. 7 show how the arranging-chute E fits intothe ring I. Fig.- 9 is a cross-section through the hopper on dotted line2 2, Fig. 2. Fig. 10 is a back view of feed-bar, arrester, and feederattached. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of arrester and feeder detachedfrom feed-bar. Fig. 12 is a sectional view of arrester and feeder ondotted line in Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of an attachmentto prevent tacks reversing after entering driving-rod way Fig. 14 is adetail side view in elevation of lower end of arranging-chute. Fig.

15 is a perspective view of safety-tongue. Fig. 16 is a perspective viewin detail of the pieces that arrest, center, and hold the nail or tackwhile being driven.

A is a handle, preferably made of wood, in

halves held together by cap b, rings G II I, and driving-head O, eachhalf half-round grooved out inside, forming when the halves are togethera round bore of proper size to receive the driving-rod B. This bore isenlarged in suitable places to receive bearings c and d, as shown inFig. 3. An opening is made in the lower end to receive and allow thefeedbar K free room. The outside of handle A should have a groove toreceive the chute E and also a chamfer between hopper-wings G and H,allowing suliicient room for nails or tacks to enter freely. (Shown inFig. 9.) At fthe tqp end of handle A is surmounted by cap b, seat c, andcushion CZ. Cap b has a liange on its top edge or end, seat c a iiangeon its bottom edge or end, the two flanges combining to confine seat cin place and cushion d between seat c, and handle A should be ofsuitable material to prevent bruising the top by blows on seat c.Cushion d is also conlined between cap h and bearing c, bearing c havinga flange on its lower edge or end to hold it in place.

B is a plunger-rod, with handle B', drivingpoint a, and set-nut B2. Thedriving-point ct is threaded a sufficient portion of its length to screwinto the plunger-rod and be secured at any length desired by set-nut B2.Handle B is preferably cast on theplunger-rod, which is adapted to movefreely in handle A and driving-point a through the chamber in the barrelof driving-head C.

D is a plate forming a trough or hopper and held in position by beingsecured to wings G and H, projecting from and attached to or forming apart of rings that are secured to handle A. 'Ihe inner edge of the plateD is held in due position with a chute by a double or folded strip i,fastened to the plate D. (Shown in Fig. 9.)

s is a recess in a laterally-projecting portion of ring G that chute Efits into, with lug r through the slit or nail-path, thereby securingthe upper end of chute E to and preventing its turning on handle A.

I is a ring that secures the lower end of chute E and upper end of chuteF to the handle A, the chutes projecting into recessest and u.

z represents points on the end of chute E,

IOO

projecting into chute F to secure an easy passage of nails or tacks fromchute E to chute F.

Chute E has an opening fr in one side (shown in Figs. 3 and 9) toreceive the nails or tacks from hopper D. Chute F receives the nails ortacks from chute E, conveying them to head C, with the heads inside andshanks extending through the slit of the chute. Near its lower end thechute F is cut away at 011e side, Figs. l and 3, to form an opening,which is closed by the free portion of a plate-spring 7L. The latterallows a crooked or misshapen nail or tack to be removed.

c and c' (shown in Fig. 3) are bearings, e for rod A, the same having a[lange on its lower end or edge to hold it in place.

C is a head or driving end, preferably made in two parts held togetherby screws. lts interior mechanism is shown in Fig. 4lwith tackattachment Nin position. This device merely prevents the possibility oftacks reversing. It is (see Fig. 4) a bentplate-spring having its outerend in contact with alateral proj ection and its straight inner sidearranged at a slight angle to the nail-pathway.

At w a chamber or recess is formed to receive the lower end of chute F,from which nails or tacks enter to driving'point way between the`i11iitle\'vi1igs. projecting from the barrel C'. These wings areconnected with the rim of head C by the walls of the recess or chamberit' and have corresponding curved spaces between their upper edges andcorresponding spokes or arms connecting the barrel and rim oi' head C.Said spaces constitute the path for nails or tacks and enlarge at I',reduce at in, and enlarge again in entrance to the chamber of barrel.

At ai, Fig. et, wings or jaws project inward to or nearly to theplunger-way. lctwcen these jaws 'feed-bar K is pivoted.

y and y are guide-jaws projecting out from the barrel, connecting withthe rim er band which fits closely around handle A. rlhese jaws guidefeedsbar K accurately in its work. Other arms or spokes also connect;rim and barrel of head C, insuring rigid and accurate alinement withdriving-point (t. The upper end of barrel C' projects into the bore ofhandle A.

M is a spring-controlled half-reu nd grooved tongue (shown in Figs. 3,Li, and l5) fulcrumed on one of the screws that 'fasten the two parts ofhead G together. This tongue has a back swell at n to allow heads ofnails or tacks to pass feed-win g 3, which projects from arrester J intothe path of drivingpoint a. Spring g holds tongue M in position, andshould more than one nail or tack be in the path of drivingpoint a atone time the tongue M will swing back and enlarge the passage, therebypreventing wedging and injury to the machine.

K is a spring-controlled feed-bar pivoted between the jaws 0c, (andguided in operatin g by guide-jaws y andy) with feed and arrester Jattached. The elbow at l projects into the bore of barrel C', and theshoulder at 2 projects into the bore of handle A. The feedbar is shownin its normal or closed position by dotted lines in Fig. l.

ln operating the drivin g-point a strikes the elbow at l, moving thefeeder and arrester J back sufficient to allow the drivin g-point (L topass the feed-wing Then the plunger or set-nut on plunger-rod strikesshoulder 2, moving the feeder and arrester .T back enti rel y from thenail or tack way, which allows the innermost nail or tack to move inagainst the driving-point. In withdrawing the rod when the set-nutpasses the shoulder 2 on feed-bar K the point of feed and arrester willenter the nail or tack way just outside of the innermost nail or tack.On the i'urther withdrawal of driving-red this nail or tack will beforced by feed-wing into the chamber of barrel C and fall into positionfor driving. J, the feeder and arrester, is attached to the eed-bar l(by screws passing through holes larger than the body oi' the screws,which permits adjusting. l on bar K, projecting into the chamber ofbarrel C, makes it possible to drive overhead.

L and L are sprin gs the lower ends of which, when brought together inposition, form a funnel, centering and insuring the nail or tack beingdriven centrally.

N is a spring attachment which is inserted, as shown in Fig. et, whentacks are to be driven, which prevents them reversing.

To iill, hold the implement in an inclined position with the driving endlowest and the chutes underneath. This brings the hopper in position toreceive nails or tacks, which must be sprinkled into it. In and afterentering chute E the shanks of nails or tacks will fall through the slitor space Lt, (shown. in Figs. l and 9,) hanging with thehcads inside thechute, passing in this position into chute F and head C against arresterJ. In driving, the chutes are to the front and upl'iermost.

lVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. ln a nail or tackdrivingimplement, the combination, with a hollowhandle, a plunger arranged therein, an exterior chute orslideway for thenails or tacks, a driving-head fixed on one end of said handle andhaving guid e-win gs forming a slideway which consti tutes acontinuation of said chute, and the safety-tongue M, pivoted at theupper end of the slideway, and lying normally parallel thereto, wherebyit forms practically one side of the slideway, and a spring for pressingthe tongue inward, whereby the latter is adapted to operate asspecified, and prevent wcdging of nails or tacks, substantially as shownand described.

2. In a nail or tack drivingimplement, the combination, with the hollowhandle, aslotted drivin g-head secured on the lower end of said handle,a plunger slidin g in both said handle and drivin g-head, anail-arrester which works The elbow IOO IIO

in a slot transversely of the nail-pathway, a bar carrying saidnail-arrester and arranged in the pathway of the plunger, and a pivoted,springpressed, and grooved tongue M, arranged parallel to and formingpart of the :nail-pathway, and having a back swell or recess, asspecified.

3. In a nail or tack driving implement, the combination, with the hollowbarrel and slotted driving-head attached thereto, a plunger slidingtherein, and a nail arrester or cut-off which traverses the nailpathwaytransversely, the same having a beveled or inclined side, and thepivoted bar K, carrying said cut-off, said bar being arranged in thenailpathway and having two bevels l and 2, as shown and described, tooperate as specified.

4. In a nail or tack driving implement, the combination,with the hollowhandle,a plunger sliding therein, a chute, for the nails or tacks,having a slotted or enlarged portion, and a spring arranged to coversuch portion, to permit withdrawal of a defective nail or tack,substantially as shown and described.

5. In a nail or tack driving implement, the combination, with the hollowhandle, and plunger sliding therein, of rings embracing said handle andhaving laterally-projecting portions provided with recesses, and adetachable chute formed of sections whose ends fit and are held in suchrecesses, as shown and described.

6. In a nail or tack driving implement, the combination ,with the hollowhandle,the plunger sliding therein, rings applied to the handle andhaving laterally-projecting portions provided with recesses andinwardly-projecting lugs, and the chute sections, having notched andtongued ends which iit in said recesses and engage the lugs,substantially as shown and described.

7. In a nail or tack driving implement, the combination, with the hollowhandle, a chute extending along the same and having a lateral opening, asliding plunger, and the laterally-projecting hopper composed of a plateD, and the two side guide-wings G and I-I, having interior grooves toreceive said plate, and rings forming part of said wings and secured onsaid handle, as shown and described.

8. In a nail or tackdriving implement, the combination, with the handle,having a central bore and a lengthwise slot at the lower end, of thedriving-head C, formed of two longitudinal parts, having socket portionsto receive the handle, and chambered and slotted extending portionsforming a nail-guide, and the nail arresterl or cut-ofi?, and itscarryingbar K, pivoted to part C, and working in the slot of the handle,as shown and described.

T. JUDSON LANGSTON.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL J. WATsoN, M. ToNEY TURNER.

